Fireproof
by BlackMoonWhiteSky
Summary: She was the perfect partner for him, not because she had a cool head to balance out his temper -she didn't- or because her strengths played to his weaknesses. It was mostly 'cause she was Fireproof. Yeah, that was pretty much it. WarrenxOC
1. Mouse Goes Sky High

She was the perfect partner for him, not because she had a cool head to balance out his temper -she didn't- or because her strengths played to his weaknesses. It was mostly 'cause she was Fireproof. Yeah, that was pretty much it. WarrenxOC

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**Oh, 'fore I forget, the DC and Marvel universes are still comics/movies/cartoons/etc. in this story. Emryn is simply a nerd. Just wanted to put that out there, I've seen some stories that crossed the 'verses but I really didn't want to do that. Um, yeah. So there. ^_^ Also, this story is actually finished, I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year and found this story in the old folder, so I thought I'd put it up. If only so I'd have one completed work on my profile. *Sheepish Laugh***

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**Fireproof**

**Chapter 1: Mouse Goes Sky High.**

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Her eyebrows rose under her bangs as she took a moment to stare at her transportation, mostly because its utter plainness, its boringness, its _**normalcy**_ completely threw her. She was going to a school for Supers, right? Somehow this just wasn't how she'd pictured getting there, what kind of superhero, even if they _**are**_ in training, goes to their super-top-secret, totally-concealed, completely-awesome, superpowers-practically-required school using a plain old _**school bus**_? She had been expecting something more akin to the Batmobile or the Invisible Jet, was that too much to ask?

…Don't answer that.

After waking from her momentary daze she shuffled towards the big yellow monstrosity –_A school bus. She had to ride a _**school bus**_!_- and stepped most hesitantly aboard, much like someone entering into another world. –_Who was she kidding? This _**was **_another world. A mad, mad world that was going to eat her alive if she wasn't careful._- Bad enough it was high school, it had to be a high school where who your parents are mattered, and her parents were both sidekicks.

She didn't even have some awesome power to keep everyone off her back, nothing flashy or cool. Her only real '_superpower_' couldn't even be used offensively; she could still make hero though, given the opportunity. She doubted she'd get the chance, there would already be bias against her the second her name was mentioned. After all, she knew who would be administering the test.

A blindingly bright flash of white and yellow pulled her from her thoughts and she recognized a face she'd seen many times. "Zach." She looked to the left of him as she spoke, just like always, she could never look directly at him for long without experiencing the sensation of her pupils burning. "How are you?"

She slid into the seat in front of him, giving her an excuse to only occasionally glance at him while they spoke. "Oh! Hey Mouse! I'm great! I didn't know you'd moved back." She winced slightly, but tried to suppress it, Zach was as loud as his fashion sense.

She gave a light chuckle. "Well I did. Soooo, freshman year at Sky High, pretty exciting stuff there."

She wasn't sure it was possible but he actually seemed to get louder. "I know, right! It's so sweet! I can't wait to blow everyone's mind!"

She withheld the snarky comment just begging to come out, mostly about how his shirt could do it for him. –_There _**had**_ to be a limit to how brightly a person could dress._- She liked Zach, she did, but he was one of those things you had to take in small doses. It didn't help that she was nervous, or that she was basically the living definition of '_Not A Morning Person_'. "I'm sure you'll do great."

"Thanks Mouse, you too."

"Emryn Emouss Kelly, I didn't know you'd moved back into Maxville." Despite the tone being borderline scolding there was just no getting rid of the cheeriness in that voice. She recognized it immediately.

Mouse grinned and looked up to see green. "Layla." She gave a nod of acknowledgement, glancing to the red, white and blue that was rarely gone from her side. "Will."

The boy sent a welcoming grin her direction. "Hey Mouse."

"How long have you been back, Em-Em?" She turned her attention back to Layla, the only one of her friends to still address her by that particular nickname.

"Oh, 'bout a week or so. I would have tried to get together with you guys before the start of the year but Nancie insisted we have some '_bonding time_' before things got all messy from school." Her lips pursed with something that was not quite dislike, Nancie was her dad's girlfriend and she wasn't quite sure how to handle the woman. Or the trouble she was bound to, indirectly, cause for Mouse.

"Well," Layla heaved a dramatic sigh, "I _**suppose**_ I can forgive you, but only if you promise to hang out soon."

She rolled her eyes at the cheerful girl but semi-mockingly drew an X over her heart. "Cross my heart and hope to cry, I'll keep my word, lest I die. Now," Mouse tossed a critical eye in the direction of Ron Wilson, _**bus driver**_, "I think you should find a seat, your fanboy looks antsy." The last comment was obviously directed at Will, who did an entertaining grimace/embarrassed-smile combination as he moved to sit behind her next to Zach. Layla, of course, sat as close to Will as possible, taking the opening across the aisle next to the guy –_Keith_- who, they would later learn, spit acid.

As the last student was picked up she couldn't help but tense slightly, drawing a strange look from the boy sitting next to her, not that she cared, the guy –_Brian; Six arms_- had been eyeing her speculatively ever since she took the opening beside him. Mouse had been doing her best to ignore him, though the urge to tell him to keep his eyes to himself was nearly overwhelming; even now, the only real reason she was silent was because she was bracing herself.

She knew how non-flyers got to Sky High.

Jaw clenched, her hands immediately clamped down on the hand bar when it made an appearance, knuckles white. If there was a thing Mouse didn't handle well it was heights, only needles were worse for her, –_Even the thought of needles made her panic slightly._- she didn't freak out with heights or anything but she wasn't exactly comfortable with them. When they finally landed with a shuddering jolt, –_The school was impressive, she had to admit._- she waited 'til everyone else had vacated before even bothering to get to her feet. She exited the bus but did not immediately join the others, instead leaning against the bus while her head stopped spinning, the sensation had something to do with her blood, she suspected her Anemia was the cause, even elevators made her dizzy sometimes.

That was how she saw it coming.

'_It_' being the blur of movement that was clearly someone with super-speed, she quashed the automatic impulse to trip him, especially when he started running circles around the freshmen, herding them like sheep. Mouse heaved a sigh as she moved away from the bus, obviously it was time to rescue her young friends.

"-happy to collect that $15 new student fee." She let out an unladylike snort as she moved to the front of the group, not even really listening to Ethan's –_wears orange, melts_- response as he, timidly, contradicted what they said.

"Move." The two bullies turned their attention to Mouse, who was staring at them with a blank, unimpressed expression on her face.

An angry sneer appeared on Lash's face as he pulled his arm back and invaded her space threateningly but before he could say anything he was interrupted by the smiling Gwen Grayson. Mouse watched their interaction silently and was surprised the bullies listened to the pink wearing girl but in the end dismissed it as unimportant; conflict over, she allowed herself to fall to the back of the group as they moved out.

By the time they hit the gym she had already stopped listening entirely, bored out of her sleepy mind, and had instead resorted to people watching as they moved around the halls getting the 5¢ tour. She had perked up briefly at the mention of the Mad Science Labs but had been relatively unimpressed, they weren't all that different from a normal science lab, just had some different materials.

Mouse was roused from her thoughts by a shouted "Comets away!" She glanced up to notice that the teacher that had been giving the generic '_This is the beginning of the rest of your life_' speech had just burst into a ball of white light and gone shooting over their heads and out the gym doors. A mechanical rumbling sounded from behind her and she turned with a grimace. She knew what was coming next.

Power placement.


	2. Mouse Sees Red

**The only reason I'm putting up the second chapter at the same time as the first is because I know sometimes it's hard to get a feel for a story with just the first chapter, all the others will be released at weekly intervals until I put up the last chapter. I might put them up faster if you ask really nicely. But you'd have to be really, really nice to me. ^_^ Anywho, I hope you enjoy Fireproof.**

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**Fireproof**

**Chapter 2: Mouse Sees Red.**

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Mouse felt her nose flare and her left eyebrow twitch at the sight before her.

Those.

Damn.

Shorts.

She would have nightmares about those shorts.

_**Forever.**_

After lamenting the loss of her poor mind's purity –_Holy Hell, those _**shorts**_!_- she brought her attention away from the blindingly hideous sight to focus on his face. –_Equally hideous but that might just be her vindictive streak shining through._- Tommy Boomowski looked just as he had in his pictures, older, maybe, and more intimidating, but not too altogether different. He'd worn shorts in most of those pictures too.

They just weren't quite _**that**_ short.

Still mentally scarring though.

Mouse resisted the urge to clamp a hand over her eyes to rid herself of the image. –_Not that it'd do any good. The image was already burned into her retinas, she was sure._- Her mind went over everything she knew about '_Coach Boomer_' as she moved to the outside edge of the group of unfortunate, unsuspecting freshmen.

She had hoped one of her three had noticed her action and mirrored her but no such luck, she was one of the few not almost bowled over by his power, though her ears did ring slightly when he was done. The following performance only solidified in her mind what she already thought of him, he was the stereotypical sadistic gym teacher, taking pleasure in the humiliation of his students. She was not particularly surprised.

The ruling on Zach's power, though she really couldn't disagree on that one, caused her to forgo her need for self-preservation to move closer to her friends. She silently gave Zach's shoulder a comforting squeeze, he sent a brave smile towards her in return but she knew the boy well enough to see the disappointment in his eyes. He would bounce back though, of that there was no doubt.

She turned her displeased gaze on Boomer and watched as he evaluated the power(s) of each student to stand before him, his blatant disrespect to those deemed '_sidekicks_' only proving to make her temper flare that much hotter. Then it was Layla's turn. The perpetually cheerful girl seemed to actually be displeased herself with the situation at hand, but still managed to keep a happy demeanor. Mouse moved closer to Layla's side supportively.

She noted the moment when he realized who she was.

The only things that really gave it away were the tightening of his grip on the clipboard and the slight clenching of his jaw. "You." His tone was different too, colder, harsh. "Denim Girl, let's get on with it."

Even if he hadn't pointed at her it would have been obvious that she was who he was talking about. Black strait-leg jeans that made her look taller than she was, light-gray denim shirt with the sleeves rolled up to ¾ length, completely unbuttoned over a black t-shirt with the mask of Deadpool on it, her matching red tank top just peeking out past the t's bottom edge. She also had brown denim flats with a pattern of powder-blue guitars on her feet and a black denim head band, decorative as it did nothing to keep her bangs from hanging down against her forehead, set against her dark brown hair.

She smirked, waving her hand in a '_yeah, yeah_' gesture as she climbed the steps, her silver fingernail polish flashing under the spotlight. She gave off an air of relaxation but the three freshmen that knew her could tell that something was pissing her off severely. "Name and power."

He knew though, he knew exactly who she was, what she could do. "Emryn Kelly. Observation and instigation of chain reactions, usually in the nature of catastrophic failure. Also, I'm fireproof." If things were fair, if she'd had a different judge, her first ability would have landed her an automatic '_hero_' once she displayed it. But it wasn't another judge. It was Tommy Boomowski and with her he was anything but fair.

Before she could blink he had pushed a button that caused a turret to drop down and shoot a stream of fire at her, not saying a word. She cussed him out mentally as she pulled something from her pocket and tossed it skillfully at said fire spewing turret as she moved out of the line of fire –_Ooh, a play on words, she was on a roll._- in an attempt to keep her clothes from getting completely destroyed. For a moment nothing happened, then suddenly the flamethrower started shaking and, not a second later, exploded.

Mouse inspected the holes in her shirt, glad she had a tendency to layer. Then she turned to Coach Boomer, "Thank you for helping me demonstrate the difference between fireproof," she waved a hand to indicate her face and unsinged hair, "and fire resistant," the hand indicated her _**relatively**_ unharmed clothes. "I do think perhaps a little more warning next time might be prudent, as I could have needed to activate my power first." She didn't though, her abilities were '_always on_', they were integrated into her physical self.

She couldn't make them go away if she wanted to. She knew, she'd tried.

Boomer was scowling at her, because she was right of course, and that annoyed him. Also because she didn't seem all that frazzled by the sudden attack, as he had intended. So he was scowling, glaring even. "You're weak like your dad, Kelly. _**Sidekick**_!" He had intended to knock her off the stage as he had Zach but she saw it coming with ease and stepped to the side, avoiding the concussive blast of sound. That made him angrier.

The way she calmly walked off stage and rejoined her group of friends, as though nothing had happened, made him so very, very, angry.

Her friends knew she was anything but calm, her movements were sharp, precise, and yet she seemed to exude an air of lazy relaxation, all signs that she was barely controlling herself. It was surprising, to be honest, not one of them could ever remember seeing her so pissed off.

_No_, Layla recalled, _no that's not true_. _There was that one time_…

She shuddered at that memory, moving to stand next to Mouse and wrapping an arm around her comfortingly. Alarmingly, Mouse did not acknowledge her, at all. In fact, Mouse had not taken her eyes off of Coach Boomer since she'd stepped off the platform. Layla had a really bad feeling.

With good reason.

The bell rang. Layla had let go of Mouse in surprise when she heard that Will was next and so she didn't quite notice that the angry girl was not with their group as they moved to the lunchroom, none of them did. –_It was another talent of Mouse's, the ability to slip people's minds, not a superpower like the other two, just an aspect of her personality._- She wasn't with the group of freshmen at all actually, she was standing in the doorway of the gym, glaring at the man who had dared to bring a personal vendetta against her father to her, at school. Her temper snapped.

"_**Hey**_! _**Boomowski**_!" He turned, surprised to hear his actual name, both of them oblivious to the students passing in the hall that had stopped and were now staring.

"Kelly." It was a hiss.

She sneered. "_Car_." It was a mockingly cheerful announcement and suddenly her wrist snapped forward, releasing a small projectile that hit Boomer square in the nose before bouncing up at an angle to just barely hit the brim of his baseball cap, shooting down to smack his right hand. The hand that was holding the dreaded remote. The hand which immediately spasmed at the collision, clenching tightly before loosening altogether, dropping the remote, but not before he had already pushed the button accidentally.

Boomer yelped as he stumbled backwards, away from the dropped car that had landed less than a foot away from him, before turning furious eyes to the gym doors, ready for a _**real**_ shouting match. She was gone though, after all, she had a lunch to get to. The students standing in the doorway scattered at the angry look in his eyes, not wanting to draw his attention. The news of what had happened here would be all over the school before the start of the next class.

Only one curious person remained calm in the face of Coach Boomer's wrath, with a raised eyebrow he collected something from the ground; it was a red and black glass marble. With a mental shrug he pocketed it and turned towards the cafeteria himself, after all, Warren Peace had a lunch to get to.

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Due to the general confusion and timidness of the group Mouse was ready and waiting before her freshman three –_Plus two, apparently. She hadn't realized they'd picked up the melting kid and the girl who turned into a guinea pig._- were all the way through the lunch line. She fell into step beside Layla the moment they started moving towards an empty table, ignoring the looks she was getting from all around the lunchroom to the best of her ability. Her freshmen were, of course, completely oblivious to the sudden stir around them, though she doubted it would last too long. She wondered if she'd be getting her lecture from Layla today or tomorrow, she grimaced slightly at the thought.

The voice of Boomer snapped her to attention and when she looked up to see Zach stumbling over himself her eyes narrowed. She snarled. "Buzz off, Copycat!" '_Boomer_' looked at her in surprise before laughing nervously and shifting back to his real self, tugging on his shirt anxiously. He patted Zach's shoulder and mumbled something about it being a joke before slipping back into his seat and avoiding all eye contact with her. Her freshmen though, they were staring at her.

She ignored them.

When it was apparent they weren't going anywhere anytime soon she sighed and started walking, she heard them scrambling behind her but didn't turn around. She could feel Layla's concerned gaze, and Will's confused one. Zach, on the other hand… Zach recovered quickly and was almost immediately beside her.

"_**Dude**_! Did you see that? I thought he was gonna pee himself or something! How'd you do that? And how'd you know it wasn't really Coach Boomer? He looked and sounded just like 'im! I sure couldn't tell th-"

"Because," she interrupted, "he wasn't pissed at me."

"Why would he be mad at you?"

"Besides the fact that I just dropped a car on his toes? My dad is dating his little sister."

"Whoa, whoa, _**whoa**_! _**Wait a minute**_! Let me get this straight. Your _**dad**_ is dating the coach's little _**sister**_?"

"That's what I said."


	3. Mouse Likes To Read

**Annnddd okay, so I'm putting chapter three up early because, along with NaNoWriMo and a research paper for my psychology class, I'm redoing my room, that means painting and putting up a full wall (floor to almost ceiling, we're leaving the top open so my cat can have someplace high to lounge) bookshelves. Which means I'm going to be completely reorganizing my room. I'm not sure when I'll next have time to post so… anywho, read, review, enjoy. ^_^ Oh! Thanks for the review goes out to vampirelover2009, also, thanks to those that favorite/followed. I hope this chapter lives up to your expectations. ^_^**

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**Recap:**

**Zach to Mouse:** "Why would **[Coach Boomer]** be mad at you?"

"Besides the fact that I just dropped a car on his toes? My dad is dating his little sister."

"Whoa, whoa, _**whoa**_! _**Wait a minute**_! Let me get this straight. Your _**dad**_ is dating the coach's little _**sister**_?"

"That's what I said."

**:End Recap.**

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**Fireproof**

**Chapter 3: Mouse Likes To Read.**

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"That's what you got out of it Zach? Seriously?" Layla sounded, unsurprisingly, frustrated. "What do you _**mean**_ you dropped a car on his toes? **Mouse**! **Look at me**! Did you really?"

Mouse glanced over her shoulder for a moment, then shrugged. "They're all still intact, if that's what you're asking. I made sure he was clear before dropping it."

"**Mouse**! I can't believe you! You can't just g-"

"Look, Layla? Can we discuss this later? I'm not really in the mood to be the lunchtime entertainment." She could tell when her freshmen noticed the blatant stares they were receiving from all different directions, as they were suddenly much more focused on getting to their table. Mouse relaxed a little when they sat down but noticed absently that Will seemed to tense.

"Am I crazy, or is that guy really looking at me?" Mouse wasn't really paying any attention to them, she was too busy. Trying. To. Open. Her. Damn. Grape juice!

"Dude."

"What?"

–_Success!_-

"That's Warren Peace."

"That's Warren Peace?"

She was still only half listening to what they were saying, which is why she misheard them. She mumbled around a spoonful of chocolate pudding, "'s a good book." Only Magenta, who was sitting next to her, seemed to hear her.

"Yeah."

"I've heard about him. His mom's a hero and his dad's a supervillain. Barron Battle."

"Where do I come in?"

She received a strange look from said purple wearing girl. She shrugged innocently, "What? It is. Война и миръ (_Voyna i mir_) by Leo Tolstoy, first published in 1869. He also wrote Анна Каренина (_ˈanə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə_), or Anna Karenina, but I never got around to reading that one. I like books, so sue me." Magenta shook her head then jerked her chin in the direction of the person they were discussing; Mouse lifted her eyebrows questioningly then seemed to actually register what had been said. Her mouth opened in a silent '_oh_' and her expression turned sheepish. She shoved another spoonful of pudding in her mouth, pushing down an embarrassed blush.

"Your dad busted his dad. Quadruple life sentence."

"No parole until after his third life." She turned her attention to the young man they were discussing curiously, blatantly staring, head tilted ever so slightly and spoon still hanging out of her mouth.

"That's great. My first day at Sky High, and I already have an archenemy. Hmm." His gaze shifted to her for a moment, the glare not lessening in the slightest. She didn't look away, refusing to be intimidated. –_He was attractive, in a dark '_don't mess with me_' kind of way._- "Is he still looking?"

Mouse turned her gaze back to her food, taking another bite with a small, amused smile. "No."

"No?"

"No."

Will turned, glancing over his shoulder, and paling slightly when he locked eyes with the older boy. "I thought you said he wasn't looking."

"Yes, well, that's what we typically call a _**lie**_." Her voice went almost monotone, and she gave him a blank look. "It was to make you feel better. It's not like I expected you to do something stupid like, oh, I don't know, look over your shoulder at him." Will opened his mouth to argue but she obviously dismissed him, turning her head away with an exasperated huff. He frowned at her, a slight pout appearing but was soon enough distracted by his other friends. Mouse glanced at him from the corner of her eye, a mischievous smile curling her lips upwards, once he was completely immersed in conversation she turned back and began eating again.

She looked up and was surprised to lock eyes with Warren Peace. –_He has really dark eyes. They're… intense._- She wouldn't admit to it, but he was kind of intimidating, even to her. She suddenly smiled at him and waved, gaining her a weirded-out look as he went back to glaring at the back of Will's head, she silently laughed.

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By the time lunch was over she was about ready to bang her head against the table, having grown frustrated with their constant chatter. So she was not particularly happy to come across little-miss-preppy, a.k.a. Gwen Grayson. She couldn't even really enjoy watching Will make a fool of himself because she knew how much Layla cared for him, the girl had been in love with the idiot for as long as Mouse could remember. The senior's immediate dismissal, hidden under a coating of smiles and compliments, of everyone _not-Will_ caused her mental hackles to raise. When she actually tried to introduce herself to Mouse she was visibly startled by the younger girl's animosity towards her. –_She recovers quickly though, gotta give her that._-

"I guess I'll see you guys around."

"Yeah."

"Bye."

"Bye." Will turned to watch her leave.

Mouse, with crossed arms and a roll of her eyes, waited for him. "Geez. Watch it Will, I think you're drooling a little bit there." To her eternal amusement he actually reflexively lifted a hand to check as he was turning.

"That's not funny Mouse." He shot her a glare.

"_**Please**_, that was freaking hilarious." Which she _**happily**_ ignored.

"Seriously, what's your deal today Mou-"

"Hmm?" She turned back to see that Will was inches away from crashing into the guy from lunch, the poor thing looked like he was about to pass out from sheer fear. When she realized that he'd frozen up she heaved a sigh and grabbed him by the shoulders, steering him around the older boy. "Sorry, he's suffering from an extreme mental disease. It's called idiocy. I hear it's terminal, there's nothing that can be done for him." She didn't receive a response, but, then again, she hadn't really expected one. Once they were clear she gave one more good shove before releasing her friend with an annoyed huff. "It's called fight or flight, not fight, flight, or freeze with fright. I can't keep saving you, you know, I have different classes than you do. How you manage to survive while I'm gone is beyond me. Honestly."

"Th-thanks Mouse." He looked at her, still shaken, eyes conveying his emotions clearly.

Her expression softened, "Yeah, no problem kiddo."

Layla had always been the motherly one in their group, she was the one who babied and coddled and lectured when necessary. Zach had always played the motivator, the energizer; he was the little brother, always getting them into trouble. Will had always been the steady one, the one who kept them grounded, though he did tend to fall prey to negativity if he wasn't careful. Mouse had always been the one who protected them, she was only a year older but all three looked up to her and they knew they could go to her with anything, no matter how ridiculous, and she would listen, she couldn't always do anything, but she would always listen. They had a kind of family dynamic, something Mouse would always cherish whole-heartedly.

There were times though, like now, when she wished they weren't so dependent on her, it was bad, putting so much faith in one person like that. Because she knew, better than any of them, that nothing stays the same forever. It just takes the right hit, in the right place, and everything can come undone.


	4. Mouse Claims A Marble

**So, another free moment before I hit the hay I thought I'd put this up, at least to push the story up over the 5,000 word count, I know I'm not the only one who won't read a story until it hits a certain length. Um, my brain is fried right now so the AN is pretty crappy, sorry 'bout that. I have a psych test tomorrow, or I guess I should say later tonight, I'm freaking a little, not 'cause I'll do poorly, but 'cause I always freak. Um, anywho, thanks to those who favorited/alerted. And special thanks to **thenerdisin** for the review, I don't think I actually responded to your review, sorry about that, I promise that I **_will _**do so, I've just had a busy week.**

**Anywho, read, review, enjoy. Tell me what you think, okay? Here's chapter four of Fireproof!**

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**Fireproof**

**Chapter 4: Mouse Claims A Marble.**

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Mouse didn't go back to the gym with the freshmen. She'd gotten her placement, so she had been summoned to the office of one Principle Powers to discuss her school career, as she was coming in during her sophomore year. "-help you adjust we're trying something new." The woman in white opened the door and waved someone into the office with her. "This is Warren, he's a junior; he's going to be your guide for the next week or so while you adjust to everything. If you need any help you will come to him first. If you-" Mouse had stopped listening, she was too busy feeling amused by, but trying not to laugh at, the expression on the grumpy junior's face. It was the boy from lunch, the one who'd nearly glared a hole into the back of Will's head. –_Luckily, it seemed that, whatever his power was, he did not have laser/heat/etc. vision._-

It was quite clear that he was not doing this of his own free will.

"-any questions?"

Emryn glanced at Principle Powers. "Yes Ma'am, why am I getting shown around by a junior instead of another sophomore?"

"Ah, that's because we've recently started a program pairing experienced Heroes with a younger Hero Support," –_Oh look, she actually uses the politically correct term, how fascinating._- "in order to develop a mentor-like relationship and to further develop the skills required in partnerships. The freshman are excluded from this obviously, it is difficult enough for them to adjust to a new environment, so they don't begin until the second semester. This rotation Mr. Peace here is without a partner, making him available to be your guide."

"So, it's basically a program to promote equality, the ability to work with others, and just a general passing around of the tricks of the trade?"

Principle Powers smiled. "That's it exactly."

Her eyebrows lifted and she mumbled under her breath. "Wow, aren't _**you**_ the idealist." The principle didn't hear of course, but judging by the slightly less angry stare –_Not less angry, per say, more… angry _**and**_ curious._- from Warren, he did.

"Now, do you have any more questions?"

The woman was all smiles, it reminded her of Nancie. "No."

"Oh, well in that case," Powers handed a folder and a slip of paper to Warren, the paper he tucked into his pocket, the folder he held with obvious reluctance. "show her to her locker first, then give her a brief, but _**thorough**_, tour of the school. That folder has her schedule, point out which rooms she'll have classes in and then take her to the one going on now. There's a copy in there for you as well, you are to escort her to each class for the next two days-"

Mouse was_** not **_happy with this arrangement.

One: Nobody ever asked her if she wanted to have some strange person, that she had never even met, show her around.

Two: The woman had, without thought, handed over a file containing her school information to someone other than herself. –_Not okay! That stuff was private!_-

Three: Judging by the way said folder was smoking slightly –_She unceremoniously rescued the file from him, sending him a glare for good measure._- it was clear that _**he**_ didn't want to be doing this _**any more**_ than _**she**_ wanted him to.

Four: Having him follow her around? Really? 'Cause you know, that's just what she wanted for her first day. Someone stalking her.

Mouse took a deep breath and forced what could quite possibly be the most pathetic fake smile in the history of fake smiles to appear on her face. "Thanks." And before the woman could say anything else to piss her off she grabbed Warren's wrist and pulled him behind her as she fled down the hall. Her mind was clouded with her angry thoughts, without really realizing it they came spewing from her mouth. "Geez, just what I need. Oh sure! I'd love to have someone forced to _**stalk**_ me. Thanks a ton!" Due to her power, Mouse was completely unaware that Warren's arm was currently on fire –_He started with just warming his hand and got progressively hotter with no reaction from her at all._- in an attempt to get her to let go. "It's not like I actually wanted to handle this myself or anything like that. Oh no! That's much too difficult! Why, I might actually get _**lost**_ once or twice!" Realizing that the fire –_He'd have to ask about that._- did no good what-so-ever, he was about to force a stop. Then he realized how amusing her rant actually was and decided to see how long it took her before she remembered he was there. It's not like her short legs made it hard for him to keep up. "And that simply won't do! Why, I might _**actually**_ be forced to ask some random passerby for _**directions**_. How horrifying! And it's not like there's a school _**map**_ or anything. What? There is? How strange! I've never _**heard**_ of such a thing! It's not like every _**other **_school I've gone to had one too or anything like that, I'm completely unprepared for such a situation! Why, I'm so glad I've been assigned a frickin' babysitter! I-"

"You know, I hear that talking to yourself is a good indicator that you've gone insane." He'd gotten impatient –_Shocking, I know._- and decided to interrupt.

Mouse jumped at the sound of his voice, completely startled. She dropped his wrist and spun to face him all in one move; when she realized that he had been there, listening to her rant the entire time, her face went bright red. "Oh! Umm, right… You…"

"Yeah. Me."

* * *

The door closed behind Mouse with a quiet _thunk_ and her steps were subdued as she immediately turned towards the stairs to go to her room, the only real indication of her presence to fill the house was the umbrella stand hitting the ground when her backpack caught it. A beautiful brunet stuck her head out of the kitchen and a smile lit her face when she recognized who'd just come in. "Emryn! How was your first day, Dear?"

Mouse gave her a blank, tired look as she picked up the knocked over umbrella stand. "Fine. What're you doing Nancie? Where's… Dad?"

"Hmm? Oh, Jo had to work late again, he called to tell me earlier." Nancie, in her natural state of pleasant obliviousness, –_How she was related to someone as irritable as Boomer was a complete mystery._- missed the thinning of Mouse's lips at that bit of information. "I was getting dinner ready. How does spaghetti sound? It'll be just us but I figure between the two of us it'll be alright. I'm sure we ca-"

"Not hungry. Thanks anyways." She turned back, going up the stairs before Nancie could say anything else and retreating to her room. She closed the door behind herself, setting her bag down with a heavy sigh. It had been a long day.

Mouse went straight to her desk and started up her laptop, checking her email and bringing up her online classes. She was still working towards a regular high school diploma, one that had real world applications; she didn't want to depend on the SSIPA (Supers' Secret Identities Protection Agency) to help her live in the real world.

She could feel _**it**_ sitting behind her.

The marble.

She was trying to focus, to distract herself, to think of anything other than that. That damn black and red glass sphere.

That stupid little marble.

But it was sitting there. Right behind her. It was in the backpack by the door. In the first left-side pocket, the one with the broken zipper.

She didn't want to think about it.

About that. Stupid. _**Marble**_.

She didn't want to think about that jerk of a pyrokinetic.

Mouse did _**not**_ have a good day.

* * *

_**A Couple Hours Earlier**_

* * *

Mouse's embarrassment turned quickly to agitation, and she unconsciously crossed her arms. –_A natural defense mechanism._- "You can leave now, I've got it handled."

Her abrupt shift surprised him slightly, not that he showed it. Warren smirked at her. "Really?" His voice was dry; Mouse found herself fidgeting under his intense gaze. "So you know where to go next."

His smirk was met with her scowl, which only caused the smirk to widen, she let an irritated hiss slide through her teeth. "If I do or not is no concern of yours. I don't want your help, _**Peace**_."

The smirk was wiped from his face faster than Mouse could blink and she suddenly found herself shoved against the lockers with a flaming hand held threateningly close to her face. "Watch how you talk to me." Mouse was frightened, sure she was fireproof, that didn't make it any less scary to be threatened with it. Hell, just having the intense boy snarling in her face was enough to terrify her. –_She wouldn't learn until much later that the way she had sneeringly said his last name was what set him off. He was sensitive when it came to his family life and he had perceived mockery in her tone. That it was for him alone, and had nothing to do with his villain father or disgraced hero mother, never even occurred to him._-

She didn't respond except to frown, but her eyes didn't leave his either. When Warren realized that she wasn't going to say anything he let out a growl and let go of her, stepping back out of her space. He turned to leave. "The paper she gave you. What is it?" Her voice was completely calm, if he hadn't seen the fear in her eyes before he released her he would have thought she was completely unfazed by the threat. Instead of answering her he shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the crumpled paper, handing it over forcefully.

Silent.

Curious, she flattened the paper, letting out a startled squeak as she caught a small object that came loose when she did so. She instinctively held the object between the tips of the index and middle fingers of her left hand, bringing it to eye level for examination. Her eyes widened in surprise. "I-it's my marble. Where did you get this?" He didn't say anything, all he did was glare at her, so she turned back to her examination, frown deepening. "Man, Boomer's got one hard head, it's cracked." Frown twisting back into a scowl, she turned her attention back to the paper.

It was just a hall pass.

"Like I said," Mouse shoved the paper back at him, slapping it against the t-shirted chest that was still far too close to her for comfort. "I don't need your help. So you can fuck off." And she left, he was too dumbfounded by her response to react to her actions before she disappeared around the corner. –_And there was no way he was chasing after her, even if it _**was**_ to start a fight._-

It wasn't until she had left him far behind that her fear finally overcame her and she stopped to lean against the wall, willing her anxious shakes to stop.

* * *

"Emryn?" Nancie opened the door gently, sticking her head into the room, looking around for Mouse. "Oh. Poor thing, it must have been a rough first day." The girl was barely staying in her office chair, her head resting on the desk next to her sleeping laptop. Her breaths were light and shallow due to the way she was slumped over and it was clear she'd been asleep for a while.

Hesitating for a moment, Nancie slowly approached the sleeping girl, afraid that she would wake her. Carefully, the tall woman brushed the dark hair from Mouse's face, her eyes glowing with a compassionate pity that she wouldn't dare to reveal if the girl were awake. As she did she noticed the way Mouse was clenching her left hand into a fist, even in her sleep.

Curious, Nancie gently pried the hand open. It was a marble.

Black and red, a crack running through the center but not far enough to split it.

She stared at it a moment more before setting it on the desk with a shrug, it didn't hold any meaning for her. She turned her gaze back to the girl who she couldn't seem to understand no matter how hard she tried. She sighed.

"Emryn. Emryn, you should at least move to your bed. You'll feel awful tomorrow if you sleep at your desk." The sleepy dark eyes that peered at her from under messy bangs made her smile slightly as she helped the not-really-awake-even-though-she-was girl stumble over to her bed.

As she was snuggling into her pillows Mouse let out a quiet mutter. "Thanks Momma." Nancie drew back as if slapped, a horrified, near-tears expression on her face. Then the look on her face darkened into a furious glare that roamed aimlessly around the room, the target of her anger not present. Her jaw clenched.

She'd have to talk to Joseph when he got home, otherwise she might accidently say something to Mouse. This… this wasn't good.


	5. Mouse Has A New Fear

**Okay, so here's chapter five. Um, this should be the last one that flips back and forth between two different days, at least for a while, I don't really remember…**

**Anyways… Wow! Thanks to everyone who favorited/alerted! I was surprised by how many people suddenly seemed to jump aboard the Fireproof train. *laughs***

**Um, reviews, let's see…**

frozenangel1988**: Sorry it's hard to follow, this should be the last confusing one, at least for a bit.**

MusicAnimal**, **Emerald**, and **RiverOfTheWolf**: Tada! I updated!**

_Guest_**: I can't tell you! That would spoil it silly!**

Miss-Paparella**: I'm glad you like Mouse! Makes me happy! *grins* As for the thing with Nancie… *smiles mischievously* I can't tell you of course, but this chapter should give you more of a hint. You're free to guess… I'd be happy to tell you if you've guessed correctly.**

**Anywho, here's chapter five! Enjoy! And please review. Even if it's only to tell me to get my ass in gear and update, at least it allows me to see that I have readers!**

* * *

**Fireproof**

**Chapter 5: Mouse Has A New Fear.**

* * *

They didn't even notice her at first, since she wasn't in a desk, plus, you know, they were busy arguing with one another. In fact, it wasn't until they had settled quietly that they even realized there was a third person in the room with them. Will had his head propped on a fist as he glanced nervously at Warren, afraid the volatile junior would attack at any moment.

There was a sound.

A hum.

At first he thought it was a machine, maybe even the sound of the detention room as it neutralized the powers of whoever was inside, but the sound kept hitching at irregular intervals, too organic. He began looking around, that's when he saw her. "Mouse!" Will shot to his feet, completely forgetting about Warren in his concern, and rushed to where the girl was sitting on the floor, as far away from the door as possible.

Her knees were tucked against her chest, her face resting on them, hands holding the sides of her head as though to keep it from breaking apart. She didn't respond to him at all. "Mouse!" When she still didn't respond, even when he shouted right next to her, Will grew alarmed. He grabbed her shoulder, shaking it, trying to get some sort of reaction out of her.

Nothing.

He shot to his feet and ran to the door, pounding on it. "Principle Powers! Mouse! Ther-there's something wrong with Mouse!" Warren watched from where he'd risen to his feet by his desk, looking back and forth uncertainly, some measure of concern in his eyes. –_He wasn't heartless after all._-

The door whooshed open to reveal their white clad principle, looking mildly agitated. "What is it?" In response, Will pointed frantically at the girl sitting in the back of the room. The woman became alarmed at the sight and rushed to the girl on the floor. "Miss Kelly? Miss Kelly, can you hear me?" She lifted the girl's face with a hand under her chin, attempting to make eye contact, but the girl's eyes, wide open with tears pouring out, were unseeing. She shot to a standing position and turned quickly to Will, "Keep trying to rouse her, I have to get the nurse immediately." The moment she was out of the nullification field she activated her power and went shooting off down the hall.

Will went back to calling her name.

Warren continued to watch, concerned but uncertain.

* * *

**Two days ago, the morning following the last chapter**

* * *

It was an unwritten rule in the Kelly household that any confrontations with Mouse had to wait until after school, as she was dangerously irritable in the mornings, well, irritable and slow to respond intelligently. Which was why she only knew about Nancie's concerns because she overheard her sharing them with Joshua Kelly, Emryn's father and Nancie's boyfriend. "-ou didn't_** hear**_ her, Jo! She was… She sounded so… She mistook me for _**that woman**_, but her voice wasn't sad, or angry, or hurt, or… anything _**like**_ that!" Mouse paused mid-step, hand on the kitchen door, about to push it open. Her sleepy face immediately darkened and a frown pulled at her lips, she held her tongue, eavesdropping.

"She was practically asleep, Sweet, I'm sure it didn't mean anything at all." Ah, and there was her father's voice, calm, cool, collected; Mouse couldn't think of a time she'd _**ever**_ heard him sound differently, but then, she hadn't really seen him for any stretch of time in years.

"She mistook me for her _**mother**_, Jo! Her mother! And she just sounded happy! _**Comfortable**_ even! After what that woman did! After she-" Mouse gave the door an angry shove as she entered the room, pretending to yawn and acting as though she hadn't a clue what they were just discussing, knowing that if she started a fight there would be no stopping it.

And she was too damn tired for that.

* * *

**Back to the now**

* * *

"What's wrong with her?" He was hovering, Will knew he was hovering, but he couldn't help it. The moment nurse Spex had entered the room he'd been forced to step back, and aside from demanding that the boys help move Mouse out of the room the woman hadn't said _**anything**_. Will was pretty much going through worse-case scenarios in his head at this point.

Spex glanced up, seeing the near-panicking Will hovering as close as he could get and farther back, against the wall, a blank-faced Warren. She hadn't even realized that both boys had stayed. "She's going to be alright. She's just in shock right now."

"Why?" He was only slightly less worried now that he knew she would be okay.

Nurse Spex frowned. "It was her power. The Detention room blocked it, causing her to suffer from extreme sensory deprivation. She had a panic attack and then it sent her into shock." She did another scan, noting that the signs of her anxiety were subsiding at least. She turned her attention towards Powers. "She should never have been sent into that room."

The woman nodded grimly. "Agreed. Her files don't say anything about a sensory driven power though, only that she cannot be harmed by fire, I don't understand why she was affected."

"Well, yeah she's fireproof, but what about her other power? The one with chain reactions? That involves her senses, right?" Mouse was calming, her skin regaining its normal tone. The closer she looked to her normal self, the less Will worried. He was now annoyed, -_The Boy-scout wasn't _**quite**_ angry._- the school had messed up and hurt his friend. And he was _**not**_ okay with that. "How could you not know about that?"

* * *

**Then**

* * *

"Emryn! You're… up…" Mouse took a quiet pleasure in the expression of panic that Nancie was unable to hide.

Her father barely glanced at her.

"Yeah, I have to be, otherwise I won't be ready for school in time." She was carefully controlled, her voice the same sleepy '_no duh_' tone it _**always**_ was when she felt someone had said something stupid to her. "Hey, are there any more Kashi Bars left?"

"What? Oh, um, yes, I think so." Mouse rolled her eyes at the flustered, floundering behavior of Nancie. –_Really, if she didn't already know something was up before, this would have alerted her. How oblivious did they think she was?_- She dug around in the cabinet to hide her face, knowing they'd be able to see her thoughts clearly otherwise.

Her temper riled, she decided to mess with them more. "So, what were you guys talking about?"

Nancie let out a strangled sound that Mouse was pretty sure was supposed to be a laugh and searched desperately for something to say. And she was failing. Epically.

"Nothing." Her father didn't sound remotely fazed, a frown flickered across her face as she glanced at him over her shoulder, he still wasn't even looking at her.

The frown turned into a scowl as she turned away from him. "Whatever." She shoved the kitchen door open violently with her shoulder, ignoring Nancie's attempt at talking to her, and went back upstairs, she had to get ready for school.

She had a personal stalker waiting for her after all.

* * *

**Now**

* * *

Principal Powers frowned unhappily as she finished reading over the file for the third time, just like the other two times she'd read it, she found no mention of any power other than her being fireproof. –_Perhaps it's a recent development?_-

But no, the Stronghold lad had stated it like her ability was common knowledge. –_Then why wasn't it in her file?_- When she asked Emryn, after the girl had recovered, she only gave a vague shrug of confusion, stating that she didn't know, and proceeded to dodge the topic afterwards.

Powers glanced at the girl's personal history, wondering if that was somehow related to the missing information. She could hardly blame the girl if she was still hiding abilities, not when something like that happened to her…

She decided it might be best to set up a meeting with the counselor, there would likely be backlash from this event anyways and it would be helpful, even if it didn't reveal anything more about her powers.

And maybe it would help with her temper.

She still needed to talk to Boomer about the incident, she needed to know why he hadn't reported Emryn for it. Powers had had to find out about the girl almost dropping a car on him from another student, which had _**not**_ made her happy. Maybe if she'd found out about it in the proper fashion then she would have been alerted to the girl's other power and Emryn wouldn't have suffered in the way she had.

–_Powers _**really**_ disliked '_what ifs_'._-

* * *

**Then**

* * *

"You know, I could have sworn that I told you to buzz off." And yet, she had known he would show. –_Likely waiting for a chance to get back at her for how she spoke to him the day before._- She hadn't looked away from her locker but she knew he was there, the area directly around her had suddenly cleared of people.

All except one, that is.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, he was dressed much the same as the day before, though today he had forgone the leather jacket. She mentally sighed. –_She actually found him more attractive without it, as his intimidation level went down some. Not that she thought for a moment that it affected how dangerous he was, she was still afraid of him._- He was opening his mouth to respond when a pink clad body stepped between them.

Gwen Grayson.

Mouse glared.

"Hi." The perky senior was smiling enthusiastically, completely unperturbed by the way Mouse reacted the first time she'd tried talking to her. When all she got by way of response was a glare and a raised eyebrow she decided to just get on with it. "Look, I think we got off on the wrong foot and I jus-"

"Oh, you mean when you were rude to my friends,_** right in front of me**_, then expected me to… what? Ignore it? Not notice? Just because Will's finally become a _**guy**_, doesn't mean I'm at all affected by your happy-as-sunshine face. Wrong foot? I suppose you could call it that. Personally, I call it you being a snobbish bitch." She closed her locker and walked around the stunned Miss Grayson 'til she was looking at Warren. "I'm really not in the mood, okay? So just leave me alone?"

Her eyes were tired and he was surprised to realize that she was genuinely asking, not telling him. After a moment of debate he nodded and walked off silently, he paused, looking back. She was still standing where she'd been before, looking pathetically lost as she clutched her books to her chest and stared blankly down the hall, eyeing all the people walking by.

He heaved a sigh and went back, grabbed her by the elbow and turned her in the correct direction for her first class. He gave her a light push and then walked off without another backwards glance.

She looked after him, perplexed, before giving a small thankful smile and following his silent directions. Maybe her week would get better.


End file.
